Ventura County leaders tally economic priorities

Ventura County community leaders met Thursday to provide feedback that will be used in a coming statewide economic summit aimed at driving the California economy into high gear.

The gathering, held in Camarillo, was attended by about 70 leaders in business, politics and academia who were asked to prioritize ways to improve six economic categories: workforce, infrastructure, regulations, innovation, capital and other.

Attendees were given hand-held devices and asked to vote for their top priorities. The results will be used at the second California Economic Summit taking scheduled Nov. 7-8 in Los Angeles. Ventura County is one of 16 participating regions where leaders are gathering to prioritize through June. The Bay Area will hold a similar meeting next week.

“Everybody’s getting a voice,” said Doug Henton, CEO of Collaborative Economics, the San Mateo-based firm that’s running the forums. “We’re glad this year Ventura County is involved.”

The top priority that 25 percent of local community members voted for as most important to improving the regional workforce is to “increase investment in career technical education in high-demand fields.”

As for infrastructure, 45 percent of those in attendance want to see California’s water infrastructure modernized “to ensure reliability of California’s water supply, balanced with environmental preservation.”

Rigo Landeros, Fillmore’s interim city manager, wasn’t sure water infrastructure was as important to the region as another choice: a “local ballot initiative for a sales tax increase dedicated to local transportation funding.”

“Theoretically you can have water and grow produce, but if you don’t have infrastructure to get it out it won’t do any good,” he said.

When it comes to regulations, the top priority for 32 percent of attendees is to modernize the California Environmental Quality Act, the statute that requires state and local agencies to identify, avoid or mitigate the environmental impacts of their actions.

Forty percent of local leaders said creating and supporting advanced manufacturing initiatives in regions throughout California is a top priority in the innovation category.

Ventura County Transportation Commission Executive Director Darren Kettle said he voted with the majority on that issue but wasn’t clear on what “advanced manufacturing initiatives” meant. His sense is it’s important to support new programs but asked: What would make it better?

“I had the same question,” said Christopher Meissner, president of Meissner Filtration Products Inc. in Camarillo. “I interpret it to mean, what are the best practices that enable a company to compete? And to disseminate that knowledge.”

The top priority 40 percent of local community members identified as important to making capital available is to “create regional seed funds to increase small business access” to it.

In the final “other” category, 34 percent of attendees said they’d like to see statewide and regional efforts aligned to protect and advance the defense industry economy.

Landeros and Ventura County Economic Development Association Chairwoman Ellen Brown agreed that priority reflected an acknowledgment that Naval Base Ventura County is vitally important to the local economy.

Among the attendees were Sheriff Geoff Dean; Charles Maxey, outgoing dean of California Lutheran University’s School of Management; Ventura County CEO Michael Powers; and Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County President and CEO Bruce Stenslie.

Stenslie, who worked to involve the county in this year’s summit, said he hopes that after the summit, the state Legislature and governor will use the information as they develop a state infrastructure plan.

Henton said regional agencies should consider adopting new plans making use of the feedback gathered for some of the categories that will likely vary from region to region.

“The California Economic Summit is really a unique opportunity to bring regions of California together so we can have a voice,” he said. “Thriving regions lead to a thriving state.”

The Summit is sponsored by the California Stewardship Network, a civic venture launched by the Morgan Family Foundation; and California Forward, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works to empower local communities.